Chip sales on pace to decline 5% in 2012

SAN FRANCISCO—Worldwide semiconductor sales reached $24.8 billion in September, up 2 percent from August but down 4 percent compared with September 2011, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association trade group.

Third quarter chip sales totaled $74.4 billion, up 2 percent compared with the second quarter, SIA said. But sales year-to-date are still running down close to 5 percent compared with the first nine months of 2011, the group said.

"Semiconductor sales increased from August to September and from Q2 to Q3 as the industry continued to exhibit relative steadiness in a choppy global economy, but the global industry remains behind last year's pace due to lingering economic headwinds," said Brian Toohey, SIA president and CEO, in a statement.

Regionally, chip sales increased by 6 percent in the Americas on a sequential monthly basis, marking the region's largest increase since May 2010, the SIA said. Sales also increased from August to September in Asia Pacific (1.6 percent), Europe (0.7 percent) and Japan (0.2 percent), but all four regions lagged behind September 2011 sales, the SIA said.

Does this slight increase mean that global semiconductor industry is recovering? With the coming of holiday season, the fourth quarter has great possibility to show larger growth rate, dut to the hot sales of mobile devices such as Tablet PC and smartphone.